Stories are an integral part of the human condition. Through the power of narrative, humanity is able to organise and contextualise its experiences, allow meaning to be assigned to what is important, and, potentially, change its perceptions of what has come before.
The symbiotic relationship between storytelling and sport, therefore, is obvious. It is through the avenue of stories that we chronicle not only what happened in a contest but also why it happened and, more importantly, why we should care. And after a challenging season, this weekend’s A-League Women’s finals certainly delivered a much-needed shot in the arm on the folklore front.
Looking at Friday evening’s semi-final between Sydney FC and Melbourne City, for instance, the most basic descriptor is that the Sky Blues defeated City 4-2 to book a place in the ALW grand final in a fortnight’s time.
But dive a little deeper and a tale of resilience, heartbreak, excellence, and overwhelming joy reveals itself.
Initially, it appeared a parable on hubris: the Sky Blues altering their pre-game routine to stage a presentation for their newly won premiers’ plate only to find themselves down 2-0 after an hour thanks to Hannah Wilkinson’s brace. But buoyed by half-time addition Cortnee Vine, Sydney rallied, halving the deficit through their Matildas attacker in the 73rd minute before snatching a heart-stopping late equaliser through María José Rojas in the 91st.
Down to 10 players thanks to Tyla-Jay Vlajnic’s 88th-minute red card, the wilting visitors had no answer as Sarah Hunter and Vine powered their side home in extra-time. Salt was then poured onto wounds when goalkeeper Melissa Barbieri was shown red in the 115th minute.
It was a triumph of Vine, of coach Ante Juric, and a triumph of a Sydney ALW program with no equal when it comes to consistency.
Of course, good stories need to be engaging, not necessarily fun. Adelaide’s 2-1 defeat against Victory on Sunday did not feature the heart-stopping drama of Friday, but it did provide a classic tale of tragedy: a Reds season which had delivered so much joy and promise cut down by the harsh reality of experience and the mercilessness of Melina Ayres.
Finally breaking their 14-year finals drought and hosting the defending champions, Adelaide was the neutral’s favourite team. They were the underdogs, they were young, they were hopeful and they were finally being rewarded for investing and trusting a contingent of local players to take it to the league’s heavyweights.
But goals from Lia Privitelli and Ayres were enough for Jeff Hopkins’s side to withstand Nanako Sasaki’s bolt from the heavens and advance to a showdown with City next week.
Romance be damned. It was the wisdom of Victory’s experience as they closed the game out, the inability of the inexperienced Reds to find a finals gear and Ayres’ near-supernatural ability to be in the right place at the right time that triumphed.
In all, the action set the scene perfectly for a fortnight of finals football to come: a first-ever finals Melbourne Derby now set to decide which team will seek to deny Sydney FC their fourth title.
And while to expect ‘the Dub’ to throw anything less than chaos and drama up may, in hindsight, have been folly, it is safe to say the ALW needed some positive and engaging storylines after a challenging regular season.
Like its men’s equivalent, the 2021-22 campaign has been heavily disrupted by Covid; waves of fixtures postponed and testing the league’s largely part-time player pool with a fixture wedged into the narrow window remaining in the calendar. Elsewhere, frustrations that the path to greater professionalism and an extended home-and-away season was unclear (made apparent this off-season, per the APL) also dominated an increasingly rancorous discourse.
Add to this a disastrous Asian Cup campaign from the Matildas that sucked oxygen out of the conversation, amongst other challenges, and it has been easy for pessimism to frame the narrative.
Nonetheless, especially with time, great endings can serve to absolve, or at least obscure, all manner of sins. And after a barnstorming opening round of ALW finals, organisers can take heart from the knowledge that even more plot threads are ready to be pulled on in coming weeks. Reminders of why this competition is capable of enrapturing and the latent potential that still exists within it.
Can Sydney equal City’s four ALW champions and once again seize the crown of the undisputed class of the competition?
With the legendary Barbieri now 41 years old and out of contract, can City ensure that her unlikely standout season and, possibly, her legendary professional career, ends in a grand final and not in the stands?
Can Victory overcome a shaky regular season and shock everyone by going back to back?
In the true spirit of tragedy, can this final loss for Adelaide serve as a moment of catharsis that sees them transform into a side that can win these big games?
Oh, what stories we have left to tell.
